So Close, Yet So Far
by Foreststar of WindClan
Summary: Mintflight and Tawnyfoot are mates. But there's a problem. Several, in fact. They're in different clans, one is a medicine cat and the other the deputy, and their clan leaders know about it and forbid them from seeing each other. Every day they wake up, they feel an ache for each other. And slowly, they drift apart again. Challenge for DimClan.


**_Narrater_**

Tawnyfoot left the ShadowClan camp, glancing,around to make sure no one was folloeing him. He nodded to the guard, Burnetleaf, and headed towards the ThinderClan border.

Meanwhile, Mintflight was waiting at the border. She had told the guard she was going for a walk.

Tawnyfoot came from the pine trees. He purred and rushed to Mintflight.

"Tawnyfoot?" A voice growled. "What do you think you're doing?"

Tawnyfoot spun around to see his brother, Embersong, staring at him.

"Oh, um," Tawnyfoot shifted his paws nervously. "I was just on a walk and spotted Mintflight on our territory, so I was going to chase her off."

Embersong snorted. "Don't lie to me, brother," he warned. "I saw you rushing towards her, and I heard you purring! You've been meeting her."

"He has," Mintflight admitted. Tawnyfoot nodded.

Embersong bared his teeth at Mintflight. "Wait until I tell Tailstar."

Embersong darted away. Tawnyfoot looked at Mintflight.

"I guess we should leave," he meowed regretfully.

Mintflight nodded, then disappeared. Tawnyfoot looked after her, then left as well.

**Mintflight's POV**

Mintflight lay in her den, treating Maplewind's wounds he had gotten with in battle against ShadowClan. As she did this, she silently wondered _was Tawnyfoot in the battle?_

She wanted to be with her mate, but Mintflight also knew that if it had went on much longer, they would've had kits, something that might get them banished from their clans.

**Tawnyfoot's POV**

Tawnyfoot stuck out his leg for the ShadowClan medicine cat, Shadelight, to examine. It ached almost as badly as his ache for Mintflight. An eighth-of-a-moon ago, they had been discovered, so ThunderClan accused them of stealing their medicine cat. _Is Mintflight treating her ThunderClan friends?_

He shook the thought away. _Even if she was, I wouldn't be able to see her. Mintflight might start expecting kits if that happened. _Then, both clans would know who's kits they were, and exile both of them, or at least make them step down and become normal warriors again, something neither of them wanted.

**_10 seasons later (two-and-a-half years)_**

**Mintflight's POV**

Mintflight curled her lip in disgust as she thought of Tawnyfoot. Seasons later, she might've loved him, but now she hated every thing about him. He was so arrogant when he had invaded ThunderClan's camp. When they raided her medicine den and took her herbs! She couldn't believe that she had once wanted to be with him forever.

**Tawnyfoot's POV**

Tawnyfoot hissed in triumph as he carried out wads of herbs wrapped in a leaf wrap. Mintflight had looked so furious! She had made him lose his position, by lying to ShadowClan by saying she was expecting his kits! Now, Tawnyfoot would steal her herbs. Hatred of her now bubbled inside him. How he had once loved her, he had no idea. How had he even liked her?! _I'm making you pay, Mintflight. I'm making you pay._

_**Narrater**_

The two enemies faced each other snarling, bristling. Tawnyfoot was no longer trusted in his own clan because of the cat that stood in front of him! Mintflight had stepped down from the medicine cat duties after she had trained an apprentice because of Tawnyfoot, because he kept raiding her herb supplies. Now Tawnyfoot couldn't do that to annoy her.

What had happened to the love between them? It had shriveled up and died, slowly, over the seasons. Now all they felt toward each other was hate and fury.

"You're going to pay for all those herbs you stole!" Mintflight hissed.

"And you're going to pay for making me lose my deputyship and making my clan not trust me," Tawnyfoot retorted, spitting.

Mintflight lunged at her former love. They clawed and spat at each other. When they broke apart, both were covered with scratches and bite marks.

Tawnyfoot darted forward, aiming for Mintflight's throat. The she-cat dodged and gave Tawnyfoot a new set of claw marks down his flank. Tawnyfoot growled.

They both launched themselves at each other's throats. Tawnyfoot sliced Mintflight's, while the former medicine cat sank her teeth into his.

The two cats collapsed, blood pouring from their wounds. Tailstar and Lightningstar rushed forward and nudged their dead warriors.

Shadelight and Frostshine, the two medicine cats, inspected them. Frostshine sighed.

"They're dead," Frostshine announced.

Shadelight bowed his head. "May their grudges disappear and may they rest in StarClan forever."


End file.
